355 aircon recirc flap not working

The part that connects the flap with the motor usually breaks clean. Replacements are available thru Ricambi. If the flap operates freely with the motor hooked up, that's 99.9% your problem.

 

I had similar issue and all the motors and ECU were functional. It turned out to be some faulty aftermarket wiring by the previous owner (or his audio installer):

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=319487

 

My recirc flap trying to open (flap down) while air conditioner is on. Keeps making a snapping noise like it is stuck or something broken. When I hit the recirc switch, it won't close (flap up). Keeps moving a little but wont close. It won't shut off either. Going to disconnect the fuse so I don't blow out a motor or something. How do I fix?

 

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=261210

 

Yep, that is a broken plastic shaft. Get the unit from Ricambi that Daniel listed. It is not hard to install.

 

Great! Thanks guys. God I love this forum. Now how do I get the flap out?

 

Remove the motor and the flap will come out.

 

Got it. Now how does the motor come out? Do I have to take the whole carpet liner out of the front compartment.

 

Yep. It is a pain. You only have to take out the upper carpet section. Not the floor section. I have gotten pretty fast at taking mine out. I do not totally remove the long screws that hold down the metal trim strips between the upper and lower carpet sections.


Update: I wanted to be clear that the pain is in removing the carpet liner. The flap motor is easy to remove. You will find one broken plastic piece in the end of the motor and another plastic piece in the end of the flap. Pull them out. Then place the flap into position. While holding it in position, install the new metal shaft into the flap. remember to align the flat spot on the metal shaft with the flap. Then install the motor onto the shaft. Do not worry about the motor aligning perfectly. The motor shaft turns until it reaches a specific pressure and then cuts off. So since it has been turning non stop due to the broken plastic one, the motor will not be lined up correctly to hold the flap in the right place at the time you install it. In other words, the flap may be in between open and closed when you mount the motor.

 

Thanks so much for the details tcannon! Exactly what I needed to know. Will let you know how it comes out.

 

Ugh....I replaced the broken plastic piece with the Hill brass unit and put in a new actuator (it was shot). It is working the opposite now of what it should be. Engine on, AC off, flap goes up and down when I press the recirc button. Engine on, AC on, flap goes up and stays up, regardless of recirc button pressed or not. AC blows very cold air btw. Both stop and recirc button light up when depressed. WTF???

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, interesting.

Seems like it is dropping power to it with the engine running. Can you check the power at the plug with a test light with the engine running and the engine off to see what happens?

 

The recirc flapper closes when the stop button (AC) is up. When stop button pressed down, the flapper works fine when the recirc button is pressed down (closed) or up (open). So the actuator and flapper work fine. Just closes when the damn AC is on! It's been real hot here in NY so I'm wondering if there is auto recirculation feature that selects recirc when it is hot out. I'm so confused. I'm wondering if anyone else can check theirs that lives in the NY area (or anywhere it is hot as hell) and see what theirs does. BTW...my engine is running while I'm checking it out.

 

Figured the operation of this recirc flap on my own. It is working fine now that I replaced the actuator and boss. Apparently when the air cond is first put on and set at a specific temp, the recirc flap closes regardless of the recirc button pressed or not. Once the interior temp goes down to the selected temp the recirc flap opens and allows fresh air into the cabin. Then and only then can you manually select reric. I'm betting most people don't know this. This must be a function of the AC ECU. Weird. With most other cars I've owned, you can select recirculation at any time regardless of what the temp is.

 

To remove the upper carpet section to replace the re-circulation boss, does one need to remove the rubber gasket material around the upper edge of the trunk compartment? Mine seems to be securely attached, perhaps it is glued in place. One this gasket material is removed, are there screws that secure the trunk liner to the metal underneath?
Thanks,
Bruce

 

Yes. There is a metal frame around the air intake - remove. Remove plastic covers at hood latches. Remove rubber but not all the way as it's secured near the hood hinges well. It is gluded and a tight fit, pry off. Comes off easy

Also need to remove metal trim at mid point in trunk depth.
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Dave, thanks for the tips. Also, I finally watched your video on removing the center dash vent. Once I get the dash vents out, I'll be sending them to you for refinishing.
Bruce

 

Hi Bruce,

If you need any other tips on that carpet removal, just give me a call - you have my number